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YouTube Launches YouTube Red

By Katie Ellington, News Editor

Have you ever had to endure a 30 second kitty litter commercial before watching your favorite video clip? For just $10 a month, the struggle could be a little less real for YouTube fanatics.

Today, YouTube began offering YouTube Red subscriptions. A subscription will allow users to experience YouTube ad-free and download videos for offline viewing. Other perks of a YouTube Red membership include access to Google Play music services and exclusive YouTube content, including both short user-made videos and full length movies, professionally produced especially for YouTube Red.

YouTube representatives have stated for users who don’t pay for a subscription, the services won’t change. All the same videos will still be there—as long as their creators agree to participate in the Red program. While most videos won’t be limited to Red members, creators who don’t comply with the new terms won’t be able to share content with anyone. Instead, uploaded videos will automatically be set to “private” with no way to change the setting. This new policy has caused some issues for ESPN, who removed most of its videos from the last four years. According to an article by the Associated Press, both ESPN and YouTube have declined to comment on why; however, the removal is likely a result of pre-existing contracts with cable and satellite networks that prevent ESPN from accepting YouTube’s new terms.

In a video released yesterday, vlogbrothers co-creator John Green said that content creators will earn a little—but not much—more per viewer from their videos as a result of YouTube Red. And while the new service has been met with plenty of skepticism, Green hopes that ability for consumer participation and a wide variety of content will remain the heart of YouTube’s identity.

At its best, YouTube isn’t something you watch it’s something you’re part of.

“I want YouTube to be driven by the stuff that makes it interesting, by passionate fan communities who do awesome stuff together (and) by the direct relationship between creator and audience,” said Green in the vlogbrothers video, “Understanding YouTube Red: Paid Subscriptions and the Future of Online Video.”